Carnival
by the-angel-of-words
Summary: Another "A Little Angel" vignette in which modern day young Erik and Christine attend a local carnival.


"This way!" Christine gripped Erik's hand and pulled him forward through the makeshift gates. Bright colors and the smell of popcorn and funnel cakes greeted them, along with a clown on stilts waving people forward. Carousel music rose over the laughter of the crowd, mixed with sounds of metal wheels and gears spinning and grinding against one another.

Erik stared at the multitude of rides before them, each one a different color and adorned with various lights and painted images. It was a whole new world for him. The carnival had been in town every summer, but this was the first time he had come. Christine had insisted, and of course he couldn't say no.

"This place is crazy!"

Christine laughed. "I know, isn't it great? Which ride should we go on first?"

Erik glanced around at the different contraptions and bit his lip. Each ride served to throw or twist or drop the people within. None of them seemed appealing. If anything they all looked painful or unsafe. The appearance of one teenage girl rushing to a nearby trash can to lose her lunch made Erik's stomach turn.

"Do we have to go on rides? I don't want to..."

Christine cringed at the sight of the girl getting sick and quickly shook her head. "No, we don't have to. There's lots of other stuff. This way," she said again while pulling him forward by the hand. The slew of rides gave way to a large open space lines with colorfully striped tents, each one bursting with stuffed animals and various toys to be won.

"These are fair games. You play to win things. I never win though."

Erik looked at the different games and sized up each one. They varied from throwing baseballs at stacked bottles to tossing rings around bowling pins. There was even a squirt gun game.

"I'll win something for you. Which prize do you want?"

Christine smiled and looked around. An oversized stuffed horse caught her eye. "Can you win that one for me?"

Erik studied the game at the tent in question. It looked simple enough. He would have to shoot down a stack of three bottles using a spring loaded gun with a large plastic ball on its end.

"I think I can. Come on," he said with a smile. The vendor greeted them with a grin. Erik pointed at the horse. "How do I win that?"

"Easy, little man. Just knock all the bottles off the platform and you win. No trick prizes, no trade-ins required. At this game, you win the best prize outright."

Erik raised an eyebrow and looked around. The tent was full of large toys; there wasn't a single empty space. _If it's that easy, why aren't there more kids playing?_

"All right, I'll play," he said slapping a dollar on the counter. "Great! Here ya go," the man said handing Erik the metal gun.

Erik stared at the large plastic ball on the barrel's end. Something wasn't quite right. Despite his misgivings, he aimed at the stack of three bottles and pulled the trigger. The ball soared through the air and hit the left side of the stack. Erik furrowed his brow. He was certain he had aimed dead center.

"Too bad. Good shot though," the man grinned.

Erik threw down another dollar. "Again."

"Excellent! Good luck!"

Erik shot him a foul look and aimed the freshly loaded gun. This time he took an extra few seconds to aim the ball at the heart of the bottles. And yet, when he pulled the trigger, it struck the left bottle again.

"It's okay, Erik. Let's find another game," Christine said.

He looked at her and quickly said, "No. You're getting that horse."

"But I don't want you to spend all your money."

Erik set the gun down and leaned close so only she could hear him. "This game is rigged. He's cheating. I'm not about to let him get away with it."

Christine lowered her voice and said, "How is he cheating?"

Erik motioned to the gun. "I think the barrel is slightly bent."

"You've shot guns before?" Her face lifted in surprise. She never knew Erik to be the type to go hunting or shooting in general.

Erik laughed and said, "Video games, Christine. I know how this stuff works. Trust me. You're leaving here with that horse." He turned back to the game and adjusted his mask a bit. The vendor stared at it, but made no comment. Erik slapped a twenty dollar bill on the counter. "I play til I win, and I get the rest back when I do."

"You got it," the man grinned as he pocketed the twenty. He lined up twenty plastic balls on the counter, the first of which he loaded onto the gun.

Erik took careful aim, but this time slightly to the right. The ball struck the middle bottle, but not low enough to make them fall. As the man bent to pick up the ball, Erik showed the gun barrel to Christine.

"I was right," he snarled under his breath.

Christine studied the gun and could almost see a subtle curve to the barrel. "No wonder nobody wins at this game," she whispered.

"Until today," Erik added.

Twelve attempts later, all three bottles clattered to the ground. Erik grinned and dropped the gun as Christine cheered behind him. The vendor's jaw dropped in shock.

"I believe I've won," Erik said with a smug look. "The horse please. And you owe me eight bucks."

The vendor tugged a horse off the tent's wall and set it down before fishing the money from his pocket. "Congratulations," he said stiffly.

"Do you want two, Christine?"

Before she could answer, the vendor gritted his teeth and said, "Limit one win per person. Move on."

Erik lifted the horse in his arms and grinned again. "Try and cheat some kid who doesn't play Call of Duty next time."

They walked from the tent and Erik smiled. "I told you I would win it for you."

Christine smiled and hugged him. "I knew you would. Are you hungry? My dad gave me money for food."

"Sure. What's good?"

"It's all good. I think I'll get a corn dog. What do you want?"

Erik looked around as they walked amidst the food stands. He spotted one he liked and pointed. "How about that?"

Christine smiled and returned a few moments later with a dish of French fries smothered in cheese and chili as well as a corn dog. They found a table and sat down, the giant horse taking its own seat at the end. Erik dug into the fries and nodded with approval.

"Good?"

"Yeah! Want some?"

"Sure. Want a bite of my corn dog?"

Erik took it from her and took a small bite as Christine helped herself to some fries. She looked at Erik and had to stifle a small laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"You have a little cheese on your mask. I think you like those fries a lot," she giggled.

"Very funny," he said sticking his tongue out at her. "Help me?"

She lifted a napkin and quickly wiped the cheese off his mask. "There. All better."

"Thanks," he smiled.

"How about some ice cream?"

"That sounds good. Do they have chocolate?"

"I bet they do. Be right back," Christine said as she hopped to her feet. Erik watched her order two giant cones, chocolate for him and strawberry for her. As they ate them, he kept getting ice cream on his mask. Christine didn't laugh this time; she quietly wiped the stains away each time and gave him a soft smile. Erik wasn't even halfway through his cone when frustration overtook him.

"Come on, let's go sit somewhere else."

"Why?"

He lifted the horse in his other arm and said, "So I can take my mask off to eat this ice cream."

Christine raised her eyebrows in disbelief. He _never _took his mask off, except for the first time they met. It always made him nervous to even talk about it, so she never mentioned it.

"Come on," he repeated.

Christine stood and followed him to a distant corner of the fair, where they sat down on the ground. Erik sat so his mask was towards the wall. He glanced at Christine, as though considering it.

"Hey. It's okay," she said with a squeeze of his hand.

Erik nodded and slowly pulled his mask off. He gave her a nervous smile, which she met with a reassuring one.

"Okay?" he asked.

"Okay."

Erik set the mask in his lap and resumed eating his ice cream, this time with more ease and enthusiasm. Christine couldn't believe the difference in him; he looked completely relaxed and much more comfortable.

"Erik?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't wear your mask when you're with me anymore, okay?"

He stared at her, unsure of what to say.

"I mean, when we go places, I know you want to wear it. But when it's just us, leave it off. Please?"

Erik gripped his cone and didn't notice as a trail of melted ice cream dripped into his jeans. "Why?"

"Because I like seeing your face. I like seeing my friend."

"But my scars are gross."

Christine shook her head and in a daring move, leaned forward and kissed his scarred cheek. "No. They aren't."

Erik gasped and dropped his cone. "But... You... You _kissed _me!"

Christine shrugged and smiled. "Will you leave your mask off for me?"

He slowly smiled and nodded. "Just for you. Just for my angel."


End file.
